Riópar: The Origin of the Río Mundo and the Tus

Sometimes it takes no more than an extended weekend, and suddenly you are in a different world. We set off in the motorhome, my wife, Zuky, Mandy, and I, without a big plan, only with one name in mind: Riópar. And it is truly amazing how it works in Spain — you drive a few hours, and the dry plain you come from suddenly no longer exists. Instead: pine forests, limestone rocks, cold water that seems to come straight from the mountain itself.

The Source That Comes from a Cave

The Nacimiento del Río Mundo is located at the foot of the Sierra de Alcaraz, a few kilometers above Riópar, and it is one of those natural spectacles that you cannot really imagine beforehand. Water bursts out of a cave in the rock wall, the Cueva de los Chorros, and cascades over mossy rocks into a turquoise pool. Not a stream that originates somewhere and slowly grows — here the river is a river from the very first second, complete, loud, cold.

In the past, it is said, the water did not flow evenly but came out in massive, irregular bursts from the cave, the so-called Reventón, a natural phenomenon that attracted scientists and curious people from all over Europe. Today the watercourse is regulated, part of it is used for electricity generation, and the wild outburst has become rare. But even so, on an ordinary afternoon in midsummer, it is a place where you automatically become quieter. Zuky and Mandy did not quite understand this and both jumped into the water as soon as they were off the leash, no matter how cold it was.

Riópar and Glass

The village itself has a history that is not obvious at first glance. In the late eighteenth century, the Spanish crown had a royal crystal factory built here, in the middle of nowhere in the Sierra, the Real Fábrica de Cristales de San Fernando — pure quartz sand and wood from the surrounding forests were needed, and so one of Spain's most important glass centers emerged far from the courts of Madrid. To this day, the old factory complex stands in the district of Riópar Viejo, a silent witness to the fact that even the most remote corners of this country once worked for the king.

The Camp at the Tus

From there we continued south, near Yeste, where we stayed at a small campsite directly on the Río Tus. The Tus is not a famous river; it has no entry that everyone knows, but that is exactly what makes it beautiful: clear, fast water between poplars, hardly anyone else there, only the rustling and in the evenings the bats. We placed the chairs on the bank, Zuky and Mandy alternated between the river and the shade of the motorhome, and my wife claimed it was the best coffee of the whole summer — probably because it was the only one she drank with her feet in the water.

The Sierra del Segura, where Yeste is located, is one of those areas you do not expect on any postcard from Spain: rugged mountains, deep ravines, reservoirs between the rocks, and a silence you only notice when you compare it to the noise of the coast from which you came.

A Few Hours, Another World

That's what always surprises me about this country, even after so many years: you don't have to travel far to change everything — the climate, the color of the earth, the pace at which people speak. From the coast up to this Sierra is only a few hours in the motorhome, and yet there is a completely different idea of what a summer can look like in between. Maybe that is exactly the luxury of this country: that the distance between two worlds can be so short here.

On Sunday evening, we drove back, two tired, sandy dogs in the back seat, my wife half asleep already, and I thought: no big trip, just an extended weekend — and yet one that lingers for a long time.

Rainer Schmitz

Practical Tips for Motorhome and Dogs

• The Nacimiento del Río Mundo is located in a nature park; access to the lower viewpoints is usually free, a small fee may apply to the upper platforms — dogs on a leash are allowed.

• In Riópar Viejo, a short stop at the old crystal factory is worthwhile, even though today it can only be partially visited.

• Campsites on the Río Tus near Yeste are simple but shady and dog-friendly; reserve in advance in midsummer, the spots are small and sought after on weekends.

• Motorhome parking areas in the Sierra del Segura are narrow and winding to reach — for larger vehicles, it's worth checking the access beforehand.

• There is plenty of water for dogs in both rivers, but it is cold and partly fast-flowing; smaller dogs are better kept on a leash.